New Moon is nothing if not an international advertisement for the hungry virtues of virginity and young people can’t get enough of it
The Twilight Saga: New Moon
Theatre
A smart, prickly and rewarding view of sexual and emotional confusion
Cock
Restaurants
Kitchen W8 is a bargain for this area, if such sophistication is what you crave
Kitchen W8
Too long and drawn out but very entertaining with excellent special effects
This is a peculiar play and does not work for me. Some of it is very funny but there are real flaws
Alex has a strong powerful voice and was faultless, she is far better now than she was on the X-Factor
London,
Derek Malcolm's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Arnaud Desplechin.
Cast: Catherine Deneuve, Mathieu Amalric, Anne Consigny, Melvil Poupaud, Jean-Paul Roussilon, Anne Consigny, Hippolyte Girardot, Chiara Mastroianni
Description: A feisty matriarch, dying of liver cancer and facing the prospect of a potentially deadly bone marrow transplant, contemplates her chequered life in the company of family and friends in this moving drama about a dysfunctional family coming apart at the seams. Many years after losing their eldest son to leukaemia, Junon and her husband Abel face the spectre of terminal illness once again. Their three children and eldest grandson are tested for bone marrow compatibility, all arriving at the family home to hear the results. The siblings Elizabeth, Henri and Ivan bicker as usual under the same roof as skeletons come rattling out of the closet.
Country: FR. 2008. 153mins
Grave presence: Catherine Deneuve as Junon, the dying matriarch of the Vuillard clan
Arnaud Desplechin knows about families and has assembled a great cast for this sprawling story of the Vuillard clan in Roubaix, northern France. The brood assemble for Christmas and proceed to tear each other apart — sometimes gently, often violently.
Catherine Deneuve and Jean-Paul Roussillon play Junon and Abel, the unfortunate hosts. She has degenerative cancer which can only be cured by a bone marrow transplant — if an appropriate donor from the family can be persuaded to undertake one. There’s their elder daughter (Anne Consigny), who quarrels with her black-sheep brother (Mathieu Amalric). Then there’s the younger son (Melvil Poupaud), whose wife (Chiara Mastroianni) sleeps with her husband’s cousin (Laurent Capelluto) in a fit of pique. And there’s a lot more besides.
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Sometimes it is difficult to make out who means what to whom as the extended family celebrate Yuletide with some good cheer added to the quarrelsome mix. This could be called a tragic comedy, and Desplechin orchestrates it all with the skill of a minor master armed with an excellent script.
The result is consistently watchable, with Deneuve a grave but brave presence at its centre and her elderly husband a rock of comfort beside her. Half a million customers saw it in France and apparently found it truthful. So did I.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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